


oh, but i want you now

by playthetyrants



Series: all the world is a stage [3]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: IM SHOOK, M/M, This is pure fluff, i love weddings, look what happened, this was supposed to be short
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-03
Updated: 2016-12-03
Packaged: 2018-09-06 04:40:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8735278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/playthetyrants/pseuds/playthetyrants
Summary: “I see Niall’s wasting no time tonight...his wedding might be the next one we go to,” Louis joked, turning his head back to face Harry, who was staring him down, his green eyes scanning his face slowly. Louis raised an eyebrow, sitting up a bit. “What, did Jackson throw up on me?” he asked seriously, and Harry cackled loudly, shaking his head as a grin grew upon his lips. “No, not at all...you just look really, really beautiful tonight.” Louis’ heart rate sped back up suddenly, blinking slowly as Harry tilted his head to the side slightly, still watching him. “Come on, let’s dance,” he said suddenly, standing up and reaching a hand out to his husband. Louis eyed it carefully for a moment, his skin feeling hot and flushed against his collar before he took it gently, standing up. “Alright, love…” he murmured in response, and he quietly followed Harry out to the middle of the dance floor, an influx of other couples making their way out as well.  harry and louis attend zayn and liam's wedding a few months after their son is born.





	

**Author's Note:**

> hello everyone! college has been kicking my ass, and i know i say this at the beginning of every chapter/fic i write but it's so true. i'm about to be finished with the semester and will be out for winter holidays, so expect some more writing soon! i felt like harry and louis needed to be revisited in this fic, and what better occasion than a wedding?  
> also, the slight reference to the 1975 at the end is because i saw them 3 times in the span of 3 days last week. i'm still recovering. the title is also from the same song mentioned in the fic, leave me alone.

“Layla, go stage left...no, not that way! Your other stage left!”

“Andrew, you’re upstaging Johnathan...well, what should you do to fix that?” 

“Those platforms that I assigned earlier better be finished...” 

Was it fucking noon yet?

Louis scratched his chin wearily, tilting his head to the side as he gazed upon the mess of a stage in front of him, the beginnings of a set starting to take place, looking like a wooden skeleton looming in front of him. He glanced around briefly at the slow trickle of his students beginning to sit down the edge of the stage, their faces etched with various expressions from pure boredom to sultry teenage angst and, among his leads, frustration. It was the usual for this time and point during the show; the hard rehearsals had just started, lines were barely off book and stage blocking was being changed every other day, thanks to Louis’ indecisiveness. 

He paced around a bit, pulling his jacket tighter around himself as he shivered slightly. Los Angeles never really got cold in December, but the school made damn sure to never turned the air conditioning off in the building. 

Layla and Andrew both looked angry; Andrew’s long legs were hitting the front of the stage rather harshly and Layla’s arms were crossed in front of her chest, her long brown curls pulled up into a messy bun on top of her head as she watched her director from beneath her large black glasses, silent. 

Louis scanned everyone’s faces for a moment before stopping in the middle of the front aisle, watching them all carefully. 

“You’ve got to relax, all of you,” he began slowly, watching as the tension in the air failed to disappear before rolling his eyes. “We’ve just started actual rehearsals. I’m gonna bitch at you until you get it right, this is nothing new. I promise, you all are doing wonderfully. Things just suck at the moment.” 

There was a loud gurgle that suddenly cut him off, accompanied by a high pitched giggle and his students immediately burst into a mixture of laughter and coos. Louis smiled a bit, looking down to where Jackson was strapped to his chest in his baby carrier, kicking his legs furiously and blinking up at his father with big blue eyes and a toothless grin.

“Jackson agrees with me; he thinks you’re all being too hard on yourselves.” He gently slipped his hands beneath his son’s arms and picked him up, resting him on his waist before glancing back up. “The first Saturday rehearsals are always the worst, this isn’t anything new. But if we get what we need to do finished today, we can leave for Christmas break feeling more confident, mmm?” He received a murmur of agreement followed by a sea of nodding heads as Jackson squealed again, itching for his father’s attention again. 

Louis rolled his eyes playfully, pressing a kiss to his cheek gently. “Alright, he’s hungry, so everyone gets half an hour for lunch. Be back at 12:45, and ready to work!” A dramatic explosion of applause and cheering echoed throughout the auditorium, his students scrambling to get up and run out to their cars or the adjacent classroom. 

Louis shifted Jackson’s weight on his hip, turning around and walking back towards the seats as his son gurgled happily, chewing on his hand absentmindedly. 

“What was that, drama queen?” he mused, leaning down and grabbing his bag with one hand before placing it on a seat, rummaging through it. “Always gotta be the center of attention, hm?” Jackson merely grinned at him, and Louis’ heart swelled at how much he reminded him of his husband at times. 

He finally found the bottle he was looking for, shaking it a bit before sitting down in one of the chairs in the front row, giggling slightly. 

“Ah, that’s what you wanted, huh?” Jackson was all eyes for the bottle in his hands, fidgeting in his arms as Louis adjusted him, propping up against one arm before gently placing the bottle in his mouth, grinning as he began drinking eagerly, blinking his eyes contentedly. 

“Mr. Tomlinson?” Louis looked up suddenly, a couple of the newest freshman girls walking over slowly, fidgeting with their lunches quietly. “Can we eat out here?” 

Louis smiled happily, nodding. “‘Course you can, Jackson loves company.” He patted the empty seats beside him, moving his bag back down as relief washed over the girls’ faces, walking over quickly. 

Jackson paid no attention to them, still drinking loudly as they sat down, Louis peering up to the stage where a large group of seniors sat, all laughing and talking with each other as they ate. He’d made several speeches about including underclassmen, but there was only so much you could do to make 17 and 18 year olds listen to you. Besides, they weren’t doing it on purpose.

He glanced over towards the girls and smiled again, pointing at them with his free finger. 

“Ava and Jasmine, right?” The girls nodded again quickly, both smiling happily at the fact that their teacher actually remembered them. 

“Yeah, we promised each other after we saw the first show that we’d audition for this one…” Ava mused, taking a bite of her sandwich as Jasmine nodded quickly, her long black hair flopping against her shoulders. 

“It was scary, auditioning with all those seniors…” She glanced toward the stage and Louis waved his hand towards them lazily. 

“They’re not scary, I promise. They started off in the same position as you, just remember that.” Louis reached down, grabbing a bag of chips from his bag before propping it up in his lap, starting to eat as Jasmine nodded thoughtfully, tilting her head slightly. 

“That’s true…” She started to eat her own lunch, Ava on Louis’ other side, all eyes on the baby in his lap, her face soft. 

“You said his name was Jackson?” she asked, grinning slightly as he placed his hands lazily on his bottle, holding it up for himself as Louis nodded, speaking through a mouthful of chips. 

“Mhmm. An absolute diva, he is,” He swallowed as Ava giggled, still watching Jackson happily. 

“Heeey, who’s calling my son a diva?” Jasmine and Ava both looked up suddenly, as did the rest of the kids onstage as Louis watched the side stage door swing open, letting in some light before Harry’s large silhouette appeared onstage, everyone cheering happily. 

“Hi, Harry!” Louis smirked slightly, watching quietly as Harry greeted everyone in return, holding a couple plastic bags behind his back before reaching the edge of the stage. 

“By the way, I might’ve picked up some pizza on the way here…” He dropped the boxes down on the wood floor and jumped out of the way as a literal stampede of hungry teenagers nearly trampled him, Louis calling out above them. 

“Oi! Don’t act like 12 year olds, and leave enough for everyone!” Jackson glanced up almost annoyed at his father, still drinking loudly, as Harry made his way over.  
Stupid as it sounded, Louis couldn’t help the way his heart rate would speed up everytime he saw his husband, the way his stomach flipped incessantly and the way he felt his cheeks flush the closer he got towards him. 

Harry glanced behind him briefly, laughing a bit before turning back to face Louis, his long curls whipping around to hit his face gently. 

“Jeez Lou, have you been starving them or something?” Louis rolled his eyes as Harry finally made his way over, smiling happily at the girls on either side of him. 

“I’m Harry, the man married to your complete asshole of a director.” Louis smacked his arm loudly, raising an eyebrow and pointing to Jackson. 

“The baby, Harry!” he hissed, and Harry covered his mouth sheepishly, getting a laugh out of Ava and Jasmine. 

“Sorry, sorry...he’s not even listening anyway, he’s in some sort of heavenly baby bliss.” Louis looked back down, Jackson’s eyes drooping sleepily, the nearly empty bottle resting against his chest. 

“We’re gonna go sit up there, Mr. Tomlinson…” Louis glanced back up, Jasmine pointing towards the mingling group of seniors onstage. “Try to talk to them…” Louis smiled softly and nodded. 

“That’s a good idea...don’t let them scare you, alright?” She nodded confidently, smiling a bit before Ava stood up, the two of them making their way up together. 

He felt Harry sit down beside him, Louis ignoring him for the moment as he watched the two girls wander around for a moment, tiptoeing around them nervously. He saw Layla walk over quickly, inviting them over quickly before he sighed in relief, leaning back against his chair before turning towards his husband. 

“You’re taking away from my valuable lunchtime, you know,” he mused, reaching his hand back down into his bag of chips and grabbing another handful as Harry grinned toothily at him, tilting his head slightly to the side. 

“My mistake, director...I just wanted to bring pizza, and check on my two favorite boys…” Louis couldn’t help but smile at that, feeling his cheeks grow hotter as he looked away pointedly. 

“We’re both fine...tired, but fine,” he replied, before turning to face him once more. “Thought you were gonna finish writing your song today?” 

Harry shrugged a bit, snaking his arm around the back of Louis’ chair, leaning against the back gently. “I wrote a bit, but I got stuck. Can’t force myself to write, y’know?” His fingertips began to trace tiny circles along the back of Louis’ neck, causing an involuntary shiver to run down his spine. Louis blinked rapidly, facing forward and focusing on a certain spot on the back stage wall. 

Harry sounded bored, his hand sliding beneath the top of Louis’ shirt, thumb running along the top of his spine. “Got kinda bored, so…” He shrugged a bit, finally turning to face Louis directly, scanning his profile. “...thought I’d come here.” 

Louis was sure his heart sounded like a fucking bass drum pounding against his chest, blinking rapidly at his oblivious students, feeling Jackson stirring against his chest. He nodded weakly, not knowing what else to do, before Harry suddenly pulled his hand from beneath his shirt, sitting up quickly. 

“Now let me see that little...diva, as you called him earlier?” Louis forced his head to stop spinning, not even realising Jackson had been pulled out of his arms and into Harry’s lap. He blinked again, finally turning to face him as his mind caught back up with him. 

“You’re the absolute fucking worst, Curly!” he hissed, and Harry merely raised an eyebrow, positioning Jackson to rest against his right shoulder, beginning to pat his back gently.

“And who’s the one using foul language now?” Louis scrunched his nose up before sticking his tongue out, pulling his small legs up to his chest before grabbing the rest of his lunch, starting to eat. 

They sat in silence for a few minutes, Jackson occasionally gurgling and burping (Louis secretly hoped he’d puke on Harry’s shoulder), watching the students mingle onstage. 

“Do we need to get anything else from the store before we finish packing for the wedding tonight?” Louis groaned a bit, rubbing his eyes as Harry faced him questioningly. 

“Yeah, I made a list earlier, actually…” He crumpled up his trash, stuffing it back into his bag as Harry watched him, readjusting Jackson in his lap. 

“Do you want me to go get it all while you’re here?” he asked, Louis running his fingers through his messy brown hair gently before he shook his head. 

“Nah, we shouldn’t be here that much longer...we can all go together after, if you wanna stick around for a bit…” He glanced over at Harry, who was wearing a cheeky grin on his face. 

“And watch my husband be in his absolute element? There’s nothing I’d rather do more,” he teased, Louis’ stomach doing yet another flip. 

“I hate you, you know,” he snapped, getting up from his chair as Harry grinned again, using Jackson’s chubby hand to wave to him. 

“Go do teacher stuff!” he retorted, Jackson giggling loudly at him as Louis smiled yet again, making his way back up onstage. 

A couple of hours later (bit longer than he would’ve hoped), he was finally seeing out the last of the students, rubbing his eyes and yawning. He closed the backstage door, glancing down at his phone for the time and groaning when he saw it said 4. 

“I’m sorry, I just lost track of time…” he moaned out loud, walking towards the middle of the stage and rubbing his head. Harry merely stood at the edge of the stage, Jackson fast asleep in his carrier by his feet. 

“I know how you get, love…” he mused, picking up the handle of the baby seat before walking towards him, gently placing him down on the ground once he reached Louis in the middle. “He’s gotten a good nap out of it, slept through everything…” Louis smiled wearily, nodding a bit before rubbing his eyes with his palm once more. 

School had let out for Christmas break the day before, but he hadn’t quite felt the relief wash over him yet. Louis had always taken his job very seriously, and worked extremely hard at it. Combine that with a new influx of drama kids, a new baby at home and a new show he’d just started to work on...well, he hadn’t been this tired since college. 

Harry eyed him carefully, his hands slowly snaking their way up his arms. Louis remained quiet, dropping his hands down from his face before looking up and making eye contact with him. 

“Our son could sleep through a tornado. He definitely inherited that from you…” Harry laughed softly, shrugging a bit sheepishly before running a gentle thumb along the side of his face, down his cheekbone with his cold touch. 

“Well, I’d apologize for that, but I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing,” he replied, and Louis was suddenly aware of how close he’d gotten to his face. He blinked slowly, feeling Harry’s breath along his face before swallowing thickly, running his tongue along his bottom lip. 

“N-no...it’s definitely not…” he murmured, and then suddenly his eyes were fluttering shut, Harry’s lips already making contact with his. 

That was the thing about Harry; you never got tired of him. Louis had him memorized like the back of his hand, was already predicting the way he slid his hand down Louis’ back, the other one cradling his face and he shivered despite himself when he felt Harry’s large hand cup the bottom of his ass. Harry was gentle, always so gentle with Louis, and yeah, he was predictable at times. But his kissing...that never got old. 

Louis pulled away after a few minutes, his heart racing and he took a large breath of air, blinking rapidly at his husband’s slightly dilated pupils. Harry merely stared at him in return, the beginnings of a crooked smile taking over his lips.

“Shame we can’t finish this up here…” Louis rolled his eyes, pushing his chest playfully before stepping back, running the back of his jacket sleeve across his mouth. 

“Definitely not the time or place. Maybe if we get our shopping done and get everything packed tonight, we can finish it before we go to bed…” Louis burst into laughter as Harry suddenly snatched up Jackson, who was very much awake now, keeping a firm grip on the handle of his carrier before making a beeline for the back door. 

“No time to waste, Tommo!” he called out from behind him, and Louis giggled softly, shaking his head before gathering his things and following suit. 

Liam and Zayn’s wedding had happened rather quickly; their engagement had lasted a mere 6 months, and after the first month they’d already had majority of the ceremony planned out. Louis remembered Harry getting a phone call one morning, when Jackson was about a month old or so, the two of them shrieking on the other end of the line to tell them they were getting married. Louis had been right about them; they were definitely the result of some prophetic soul mate shit. 

The wedding was taking place in New York; they’d debated going back home to London for it, but both sides of their families wanted to see America, some for the first time ever, and Zayn and Liam both agreed to fly everyone in. Besides, nothing could really beat how beautiful New York City was at Christmas time. 

Louis yawned once again, one hand holding onto the cart as they walked down the various aisles at the store, Harry studying the list on Louis’ phone as Jackson sucked loudly on his pacifier, watching the shelves of food fly past him lazily. 

“Toothbrush, toothpaste...wait, do we need more formula?” Louis nodded, reaching out and grabbing a container before tossing it in the cart.

“What are we eating for dinner tonight?”

Harry shrugged in response, reaching over and sliding Louis’ phone into his back pocket. 

“Dunno. We’ve got everything else on the list...what do you feel like eating?” Louis tapped his index finger along the top of the cart, watching Jackson blink up at him quietly, kicking his little feet around before shrugging in response. 

“Doesn’t matter, I guess. ‘M not really that hungry anyway.” Harry frowned a bit at that, falling silent for a moment before nodding slowly. 

“Alright love…” he mused, snaking his arm around Louis’ shoulders and pressing a gentle kiss to his temple before taking ahold of the cart. 

A couple of hours later found them back at home, Louis sat on the edge of the bed amongst a large pile of clothes, sorting through them, occasionally tossing something into a large suitcase in front of him. He wiped tiredly at his eyes with his sleeve once more, yawning a bit before Harry walked into the room, sighing dramatically before flopping down on the bed. 

“He’s finally asleep,” he announced, and Louis groaned in response, yanking a few stray shirts from beneath his body. 

“Harry, I’m trying to pack. Don’t lay on all of our shit…” He tried to sound annoyed, but it probably came off as weary. Harry rolled to his side lazily, allowing Louis to retrieve his clothes before rolling back over onto his back, glancing at Louis from the side. 

“Take a break, Lou,” he mused, reaching over and pulling the suitcase from out of his reach, Louis letting out another frustrated moan. 

“I’m not finished packing, and our flight leaves at noon tomorrow!” he retorted loudly, yanking it back harshly as Harry sat up, watching him coolly. 

“I’ll finish it up tonight. Come on, Louis, you’re tired. Just lay with me for a while…” Louis shook his head quickly, quietly fixing the clothes Harry had laid on before starting to fold them neatly, avoiding his eyes. 

He heard Harry sigh softly before laying back down on the bed, facing the ceiling, his long legs dangling off the side, his hands resting on top of his chest. Louis kept silent, focusing on the clothes, nothing but the sound of static from Jackson’s baby monitor filling the room. 

After a few minutes, Louis finally stopped fidgeting with the clothes, dropping his hands to rest on the mattress. Harry’s eyes were closed, but Louis knew he wasn’t asleep. For a moment, he contemplated walking into the bathroom, then bit his lip gently before moving the suitcase to the edge of the bed. 

Harry remained motionless as Louis crawled onto the bed beside him, laying down on his back as his shoulder bumped against his ribcage. Louis laid his head down beside Harry’s neck, facing the ceiling, blinking at the ceiling fan light. For a moment, he said nothing, just rested his small hands against his stomach. 

“I’m sorry, Harry…” he began softly, still staring fixedly at the ceiling. “I just...I’m so tired…” He felt Harry move to sit up beside him, could see his face swimming into his peripheral vision from the side as he continued. 

“‘M a hard worker, you know that. And with all these new kids this year, and taking care of Jackson, and you being away a lot more…” He waved his hand in the air absentmindedly for a moment before dropping it limply back onto his body, sighing a bit. “Just gets to be a lot, you know?” 

Harry’s face suddenly dropped back down towards the mattress, and Louis could feel the imprint of his lips begin to place tiny kisses along his sleeved arm, the fabric tickling his skin slightly. Louis smiled a bit, finally turning his head down to face him. “I think kisses mean you forgive me?” 

Harry turned his head up to meet his eyes, Louis’ stomach flipping at the sight of his bright green eyes. “I was never mad in the first place, Lou,” he mused, turning himself over and propping his body up by his elbows. “I know you’re tired, and I know this year’s been rough. You don’t need to apologize…” Louis shivered slightly as Harry ran his fingertips along his side briefly, before sitting up quickly and crossing his legs. 

“I don’t need to be a dick about it, though,” he responded, and Harry rolled his eyes. 

“Please. You’ve been mad at me before, and that was nothing.” Louis felt his cheeks flush a bit and Harry grinned brightly, sitting up on the comforter. “We’re still adjusting to the parenting life. It’s gonna suck for a bit, but we’ll get better and it’ll get easier. I promise.” 

Louis eyed him carefully, absentmindedly playing with his hands in his lap before chewing on his lip. 

“You’re right...but still, I’m sorry.” Harry sighed dramatically, grabbing Louis by the shoulders and shaking him playfully, Louis giggling in spite of himself. 

“Shut up, Tomlinson. Louis grinned, scrunching up his nose fondly before pushing his hands off and crawling into his husband’s lap, immediately hooking his arms around his neck. 

“Okay okay, fine…” he mumbled, resting his forehead gently against Harry’s neck. He felt his large arms wrap protectively around him, one hand rubbing gently at his back as the other stroked his hair, his chin resting against his shoulder. 

Louis closed his eyes for a few moments, focusing on Harry’s strong and rhythmic heartbeat before opening his eyes and glancing at the clock, groaning in exasperation. 

“It’s already 8?” he complained, and Harry laughed a bit, pressing a kiss to his temple before pulling back. 

“I’m afraid so...are you gonna shower tonight or in the morning?” Louis shrugged a bit, sliding out of his husband’s lap before flopping back down on his back. 

“I wanna go to sleep early, I think…” he mused, jerking his socked feet away as Harry motioned to tickle them, giggling softly. Harry pouted a bit before nodding, scooting over to hover over him. 

“I understand, love…” he murmured, his long curls falling off his shoulders and hanging over Louis’ face as he got closer. “I’ll finish packing and you can sleep.” Louis smiled against his lips as he gave him a soft kiss, his eyes fluttering shut momentarily before he pulled away. “But I’m gonna shower tonight, so…” Harry shrugged a bit, sitting back up before sliding off the bed. “Just know you’re welcome to join me if you want to…” 

And well...maybe Louis didn’t get as much sleep as he’d wanted to that night. 

Thankfully, Jackson didn’t wake up as early as usual the next morning, and when they both woke up to the sound of his crying over the monitor Louis quite literally had to untangle himself from Harry’s long limbs and the various sheets from the bed, rubbing at his eyes quickly before yawning. 

“Good lord Harry, I can’t even move my fucking legs…” Harry mumbled something into the blankets, his face still buried into a pillow before slowly sitting up, his hair a complete mess, still a bit damp from the shower. He flashed Louis a sly smirk, throwing the covers off the bed before getting up, stretching, and Louis tried not to focus on the way his shoulder muscles rippled beneath his skin. 

“I’d say I’m sorry, but I’m not.” Louis bit back a smile, watching him quietly from beneath their comforter as Harry pulled on a pair of sweatpants, gasping a bit. 

“Oh Jesus Harry...your back…” Louis sat up quickly, examining his fingernails and was embarrassed to find how long they were, looking back up at the long scratches covering his back sheepishly. “I didn’t realize I’d done that much damage…” 

Harry merely smiled at him, shrugging a bit as he picked up a random shirt from off the floor, pulling it on over his head, shaking his hair out. 

“Didn’t even feel it, Lou,” he said simply, winking before turning on his heel and walking out the bedroom door. 

Louis flopped back against the pillows for a moment and closed his eyes, trying to relieve last night in bits and pieces. He and Harry hadn’t had much time to fuck around since school started and Harry had begun working on Zayn and Liam’s second album, but he was pretty positive that last night had made up for all of that lost time. 

Grinning to himself, he slowly got out of bed, wincing slightly at how sore he was before padding towards the bathroom, running his fingers through his hair. He examined his naked self in the mirror, his cheeks flushing at the sight of newly formed bruises along his lower neck and collarbone, running his fingertips delicately upon them. Thank God for concealer. 

He threw on a pair of joggers and a sweatshirt before walking back into the bedroom, finding Harry lounging back against the pillows once more, Jackson sitting up in his lap, Harry’s hand on his back for support. He’d just started learning to sit up on his own a couple weeks ago, and Louis grinned happily, walking over and crawling on the bed.

“Well good morning, sunshine…” He leaned down and pressed a kiss to his cheek, Jackson smiling happily up at him before going back to the rattle he’d been playing with before, Harry trying to pry open a container of teething biscuits behind him. 

“I really would like to know why they make these things so damn hard to open,” he grumbled, and Louis smirked before taking it from him and pulling the lid off easily. 

“They make them baby AND idiot proof, didn’t you know that?” Harry gaped dramatically at him, Louis giggling as he pulled out a biscuit and held it out to Jackson, watching him take it eagerly before sticking it in his mouth. 

“Baby food - 1. Harry - 0.” Louis laughed loudly, shaking his head as Harry pretended to cry dramatically, Jackson eyeing his father as he chewed on his biscuit. He reached one arm out to swat at him, gurgling loudly at him in baby talk as Harry smiled, pressing a kiss to his head before picking him up gently, setting him in Louis’ lap. “I’m gonna take all the bags downstairs so we’re ready to go when our Uber gets here…” 

Louis nodded in response, fixing Jackson’s shirt with one hand and reaching for another biscuit with the other. 

“I’ll get him dressed and ready…” Jackson looked up at his dad with big blue eyes, his dark hair sticking up in random spots from sleeping before letting out a loud cry of joy, kicking his legs around, as if the prospect of getting ready with Louis was the best thing to ever happen to him. 

Harry grinned from his spot in the closet doorway, already dragging their suitcase towards the door. “I think he likes that idea.” 

The 5 hour flight from LAX to JFK was uneventful; Louis was very thankful Jackson was such a calm baby, and he merely laid against Harry’s chest and played with his toys most of the time, the rest of it he spent sleeping in his arms. They arrived to their hotel around 6 ish, where Harry was already on the phone with Liam and Zayn in their room as Louis laid against the pillows on the bed, Jackson drinking lazily from his bottle as he lounged against his chest. 

“Yes, it’s wonderful, Zayn...no no, don’t worry about it! You just get some sleep, we’ll see you in the morning, alright? Yeah, noon. Say hi to Liam for me. Alright, mate! Bye…” He hung up the phone, slipping it into his pocket before climbing into the bed beside them. 

“He sounds nervous, but I don’t know why.” Harry reached out and played with Jackson’s hand gently, looking up at Louis. “But you know how Zayn is, always anxious about something.” 

Louis hummed in response, gently stroking his son’s hair, glancing down at Harry. “I was nervous before I married you,” he responded, Harry tilting his head slightly in surprise. 

“Really? I wasn’t at all. I knew you were the one for me,” Louis smiled a bit, shifting Jackson in his lap as he sat up slightly. 

“It wasn’t that...I knew you were the one for me too. I don’t know, I just…” He shrugged a bit, tilting the bottle up a bit for his son. “It was all such a big change. It’s just scary when things change, you know?” Harry nodded slowly up at him, seeming to study his face for a moment before smiling up at him. 

“I understand, love.” Jackson dropped his now empty bottle down on the bed, clapping his hands excitedly before Louis laid him down on his stomach, beginning to pat his back gently. 

“Are you gonna talk to me, Jackson? Hmm?” Harry laid himself down on his own stomach beside his son, resting his head on its side to face him as Jackson gurgled happily at him, pounding his little fists against the mattress as he tried to talk to his dad. Louis grinned and watched them fondly, his heart swelling up in his chest. 

The night ended with them successfully getting Jackson to fall asleep and ordering room service, where they fed each other some strange pasta dish that Louis thoroughly enjoyed, Harry not so much. Louis found himself falling asleep against his husband’s chest later on, the quiet hum of their TV on in the background as Harry gently ran his fingers through his hair. 

Their good luck streak had to end eventually, though; Jackson decided to sleep in yet again and neither of them had set an alarm, so when Louis woke up at 11:15 the next morning he literally leapt out of the bed, shaking Harry awake by his chest and yelling that the wedding was in 45 minutes. 

At the time it wasn’t that funny, but Louis had never quite pictured himself in the back of a taxi in New York City, furiously combing his hair with a baby in his lap as his husband sat beside him, struggling with his cufflinks and bow tie. 

They made it there with exactly 3 minutes to spare, running inside as Jackson giggled happily at the chaos. A few heads turned to face them, seeming annoyed, but Harry merely made a beeline for a particular blonde in one of the front rows of the church, sliding in beside him. 

“Cutting it rather close, eh?” Niall’s thick accent was in a hushed whisper, but Louis could still hear him fighting back laughter. He shot him a dirty look, sticking his tongue out as Harry sat down between them. 

“Oi, shut up. You don’t have a baby to worry about,” he hissed back, and Niall grinned in response, turning to face the front of the church as the background music began to stop.

Niall had met Zayn and Liam during their album release party last year, per Harry’s invite, and had immediately hit it off with the couple. Niall was the perfect amount of carefree and fun that everyone should have in their life, and Louis was quite pleased they’d taken a liking to him. Niall had been ecstatic when he’d received a wedding invitation in the mail, mostly proud of the fact he was attending an actual celebrity wedding. 

Harry slid one arm behind Louis’ shoulders, gently pulling him a bit closer as it began to get quiet, leaning towards his ear. “That suit makes your ass look phenomenal…”

Louis quickly swatted at his thigh, the noise echoing through the church and Niall snorted beside them, covering his mouth quickly as Harry merely smirked in response. 

The ceremony was beautiful; Zayn cried and so did Liam, at the end. Louis was grinning the entire time, the atmosphere taking him back to his and Harry’s own wedding. Jackson was his usual dramatic self, wanting to exclaim in his own baby talk every time the preacher took a pause, which kept the audience entertained, as well as Zayn and Liam. 

The church filed out after the couple left, clapping and cheering and Louis was very thankful to not see any paps in sight, after blocking off part of the street to the public. They took another cab ride to the reception venue, a beautiful villa on the outskirts of the city with a breathtaking view of the skyline. 

Louis and Harry mingled inside, meeting with people they hadn’t seen in months, as well as some of Harry’s work colleagues. They finally managed to reach a spot at a table, Niall already sitting there with open arms. 

“Let me see the little lad, I’ve missed him…” Louis smirked a bit, watching as Harry handed Jackson over to him gently. 

“You saw him last week, Ni,” he retorted, and Niall shrugged a bit, holding him in his lap. 

“That’s too long.” Louis giggled a bit, leaning back into his chair as Harry pulled his jacket tighter over himself, shivering a bit. 

“I’m not used to this cold weather yet. L.A. has spoiled me.” Louis grinned, rubbing his husband’s arm sympathetically as food began to be brought out. 

“Poor thing,” he pouted playfully, and Harry scrunched his nose up fondly, rolling his eyes before turning to his plate. 

Niall kept Jackson in his lap throughout dinner, during which they found out he’s especially fond of string beans. Louis kept laughing through the food in his mouth watching the two of them, Harry filming them with his iPhone every so often when he got the chance. The dinner was replaced with dessert, and then they broke out the liquor and wine, and Louis didn’t have to be asked twice when that started coming around. 

He felt a pleasant buzz a couple hours later, swaying a bit to the music playing as Harry sat beside him, still nursing his first drink or so. Niall was parading Jackson around the party, and Louis didn’t even mind that he was using his son to pick up girls. He watched him amusedly, one particular brunette following him around like a puppy, before he realized Harry’s hand was on his thigh. 

“Oi, Curly!” He swatted his hand playfully, turning to face him and smiling. “You can’t take advantage of me when I’m drunk.” Harry rolled his eyes, laughing softly before sitting up. 

“You’re not drunk, drama queen,” he retorted, setting his glass down. “Last time you got really drunk, Jackson arrived nine months later.” Louis blushed violently, setting his glass down as well as Harry smirked, tilting his head to the side slightly. “I don’t mind. You’re a funny drunk.” 

Louis made a face at him, turning in his chair to face him. “So are you! Might I remind you that it was YOU that got drunk first, and you roped me into your one man party with that bottle of vodka.” Harry grinned sheepishly, shrugging. 

“It was a good night. Besides, we got that little bundle of joy out of it.” He nodded towards Niall and Jackson, who were now at the head table with Zayn and Liam, both of them playing with his little hands as Jackson gurgled happily, enjoying all of this attention. 

Louis smiled, watching them for a moment before nodding, turning his head back. “Yeah, we did,” he agreed, falling silent as Harry reached out suddenly, running his thumb along his cheek. 

“You know...we could do that again,” he mused, his green eyes scanning Louis’ face. “Go back home, get drunk, etcetera etcetera...:” Louis raised an eyebrow at him, but he couldn’t help the small smile that was still upon his lips. 

“Not yet, Curly. Jackson’s just turned 8 months old...I don’t think he needs a sibling just yet,” he responded, and Harry pouted a bit, jutting his bottom lip out. 

“But Louuuuis…” he whined rather loudly, and Louis swatted at his arm quickly before he stopped. “We make really fucking cute babies.” Louis laughed at that, shaking his head before dropping his hand. 

“That we do. But let’s just wait a little while...you know I want a big family just as much as you do,” he mused, and Harry jutted his lip out more. 

“I’ll get pregnant this time!” he pleaded, and Louis snorted loudly, shaking his head. 

“You’re such a baby,” he giggled, and Harry smiled at that, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to his forehead before getting up. “Where are you going?” 

Harry stretched his arms out in front of him as Niall suddenly walked over, handing over Jackson. “He’s ready to see his dad again…” Louis took him eagerly, kissing the top of his head before looking back up at Harry again, puzzled. 

“Niall and I just gotta go do something,” he responded simply, flashing him a grin before the two of them disappeared, Louis blinking in their direction. 

“Oh well, let them be weirdos together,” he mused out loud, looking back down as Jackson tugged eagerly at his tie, trying to stuff it in his mouth. 

Zayn and Liam wandered over a few minutes later, the two of them gushing over Jackson and thanking Louis for coming. Zayn sat down in Harry’s empty chair and held him for a few minutes and Louis and Liam talked, his initial anxiety of holding him melting away as Jackson giggled happily at him. 

The music suddenly began to fade out, and the three of them looked up quickly, Louis squinting a bit before he realized Harry and Niall were standing on the small stage near the front of the hall, Harry tapping a microphone with his hand as Niall fidgeted with a guitar at his side. 

“Oh good, it’s working…” He cleared his throat once before flashing the crowd a small grin, looking around the room. “Zayn and Liam don’t know this, but I recently wrote a song for their upcoming album and I wanted to sing it for them tonight.” A loud eruption of cheers and applause rang out from around them, and Louis blinked slowly, his mouth slightly agape as Zayn and Liam stood up quickly, Jackson being placed back in his lap before they made their way back to their table at the head of the room. 

Harry smiled, swaying on his feet slightly as he waited for them to return. “This doesn’t have to be your first dance or anything...just wanted to give you two something special for the wedding.” Louis was still in awe, shifting Jackson in his lap slightly as Zayn and Liam insisted they dance to it, Liam taking Zayn’s hand and making their way to the middle of the floor. There was a quiet buzz of anticipation around the room, and Louis watched his husband place the mic back in the stand before Niall started strumming his guitar. 

“This song is called I Think I’m In Love With You ,” he murmured into the mic, and then suddenly Niall was playing. 

Harry had never been one for singing in public. Louis knew for a fact that he could be an amazingly famous singer if he wanted to be, but he never really sang for anyone outside of home and at work, when writing songs. Louis was shocked, to say the least, when his husband opened his mouth to start singing, his voice smooth and velvety and had everyone else in sort of a trance. Jackson leaned against Louis’ chest, watching him onstage quietly, his blue eyes wide with curiosity. 

Louis honestly kept forgetting to watch Zayn and Liam dance, he was so fixated on his husband. When he did catch glimpses of them, his heart swelled at how absolutely in love they looked, and his cheeks began to hurt from smiling. The rest of the venue was absolutely silent, half of them transfixed by the couple and the other half by Harry. 

“So fixated, I’m never gonna quit watching you…” Louis was suddenly aware that Harry was staring straight at him, and when he met his eyes his stomach flipped incessantly a few times. “Now’s not the time, I know...but I think I’m in love with you…” 

Louis barely had time to register that Harry had taken the mic off stand and was walking over towards him, the rest of the crowd following him with his eyes. 

“Don’t stop to think, no need to be scared…” His deep voice seemed to reverberate through Louis’ entire body, and he felt himself swallow thickly as he came to stand in front of him. 

“And yeah, now’s not the time, I know…” Louis heard the ending notes of Niall’s guitar fade out, and all Louis could hear was his heart pounding in his ears, all eyes on Harry and nothing else. 

Harry never broke eye contact, licking his lips briefly before taking a small breath. 

“I think I’m in love with you.” 

As soon as he finished singing the room burst into loud applause, everyone around them standing up, clapping and cheering. Louis’ mouth had fallen open once more, staring almost blankly at his husband as Harry merely smiled softly, nodding to everyone and thanking them before returning the mic to the stage. 

“Congratulations to Zayn and Liam!” The crowd echoed him, all clapping once more before they finally began to settle back down in their seats. 

Louis blinked again, still trying to register what had just happened before Jackson squealed loudly in his lap, wiggling around and Louis picked him up gently, standing him up in his lap. 

“What’s the matter, little one?” he mused, and Jackson merely smiled at him in return, happy to be facing his dad once more, chewing on one hand messily. Louis grinned at him, reaching up with one hand briefly to fix his hair before Niall, Zayn, Liam and Harry all walked over. 

“Harry, you’re gonna give them a run for their money!” Niall exclaimed loudly, taking a seat at the table as Harry rolled his eyes. 

“No, I’m not. I told you, I’m a songwriter and that’s it,” he replied, flashing Louis a small grin before sitting down on Niall’s other side. 

Zayn and Liam both sat down as well, staring Harry down from the opposite side of the table. “That’s gotta be our first single, no doubt about it,” Zayn mused, and Louis could see the back of Harry’s neck flush bright red as he typed something on his phone before locking it and setting it on the table. 

“We’ve got a whole album to choose from, and we’re not even done writing yet!” he protested, and Liam merely waved a hand in his direction, Louis giggling slightly.

“Louis, I can watch him for a bit if you want…” Zayn spoke up softly, and Louis looked over at him, his eyes fixated on Jackson, who was still chewing on his hand, spit dripping down his arm. Louis shrugged a bit, lifting him up gently before handing him over. 

“Knock yourself out, he needs to be tired out so he’ll sleep tonight…” He grinned as Zayn took him and Liam immediately turned to face him, the two of them talking to him softly. He turned back to face Niall only to find that his seat was suddenly empty, looking around for a moment to see he had returned to the brunette girl on the other side of the room, smirking to himself. 

“I see Niall’s wasting no time tonight...his wedding might be the next one we go to,” Louis joked, turning his head back to face Harry, who was staring him down, his green eyes scanning his face slowly. 

Louis raised an eyebrow, sitting up a bit. “What, did Jackson throw up on me?” he asked seriously, and Harry cackled loudly, shaking his head as a grin grew upon his lips. 

“No, not at all...you just look really, really beautiful tonight.” Louis’ heart rate sped back up suddenly, blinking slowly as Harry tilted his head to the side slightly, still watching him.  
“Come on, let’s dance,” he said suddenly, standing up and reaching a hand out to his husband. Louis eyed it carefully for a moment, his skin feeling hot and flushed against his collar before he took it gently, standing up. 

“Alright, love…” he murmured in response, and he quietly followed Harry out to the middle of the dance floor, an influx of other couples making their way out as well. 

Louis kept a grip on his hand, placing the other on Harry’s broad shoulder before he wrinkled his nose, snorting a bit. “Are we really about to dance to a song by The 1975?” 

Harry rolled his eyes, grabbing his waist gently and pulling him forward. “Fallingforyou happens to be a work of art, and one of my favorite songs,” Louis giggled softly at him, stepping closer. 

“I know, love. It’s one of mine, too.” They began to sway gently to the music, back and forth, Louis leaning into every one of Harry’s small touches. He felt his cheeks begin to flush more as Harry absolutely refused to take his eyes off of him, occasionally breaking eye contact to look at his lips. 

“You know I wrote that song about you,” he murmured, leaning forward and Louis shivered a bit as Harry’s hot breath fanned across the side of his face and ear. “All of it is about you…” 

Louis swallowed thickly once more, following along with Harry’s motions as they moved across the dance floor before he tilted his head up slightly, smiling softly. 

“I loved it, Harry…” he replied breathily, the two of them suddenly stopping in the middle of the floor, staring each other down. “I love you, so so much…”

Harry beamed at him, reaching his hand up from its spot on Louis’ waist and tilting his chin upward. 

“I love you too, Louis…” he murmured softly, and Louis practically melted into his kiss, sliding his one arm around his neck as Harry dipped him down slightly, closing every bit of space there was in between them as the song came to an end. 

“I think I’m falling, I’m falling for you...maybe you’ll change your mind.”

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! as always, please leave kudos/comments for me to read, i love feedback of any kind. i'll be back very soon! much love to you all xxx


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